Pokemon Let's Go (Switch): 9 Essential Tips You Need To Know

Be The Best

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee are more accessible than most mainline Pokemon RPGs, but that doesn't mean everything in the them is obvious. There are both returning mechanics from previous games and significant changes to the well-established Pokemon formula to contend with, so whether you're an experienced player or a total newcomer, there are a few things you should know before you get started with the new Nintendo Switch game.

The Let's Go games are reimaginings of 1998's Pokemon Yellow, in which you started the game with Pikachu instead of Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Because they're based on a Gen 1 game, Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee include only the first 151 Pokemon and the Alola forms introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, with the addition of Meltan. We'll have more information on how to get Meltan in Pokemon Go and Let's Go soon.

One of the biggest changes introduced in Let's Go shakes up how you catch Pokemon. If you've played Pokemon Go, you'll be familiar with how it works. Instead of battling a wild Pokemon to whittle down its health before catching it, you simply have to toss a Poke Ball. Your chance of successfully catching the Pokemon goes up with a more accurate and better-timed throw, among other factors.

On top of that, there are semi-hidden stats, strategies, and more to familiarize yourself with as you play. This feature covers our best tips for beginners, so you won't find anything spoilery or super-advanced here. Let us know in the comments what your best Let's Go tips are, and be sure to read our Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee review for our full thoughts on the game.

Latest Image Galleries

Catch Everything

If you've played previous Pokemon games, you might be used to catching a Pokemon once just to get it in your Pokedex, then battling the rest for experience. But in Let's Go, catching tons of the same Pokemon has its benefits. It's the best way to get experience points for your whole team, and you can transfer the extra Pokemon to Professor Oak for candies that can be used to improve your Pokemon's stats. Plus, it's a lot quicker and easier than in other Pokemon games, since you don't have to go through the hassle of battling them.

Get Catch Combos

The biggest benefit to catching a ton of Pokemon, though, comes from catch combos. To get a combo started, just catch the same species of Pokemon multiple times in a row. As your combo increases, you'll have a greater chance of finding rare Pokemon--even ones you normally wouldn't find in the wild, like evolved forms--and the ones you catch will have better and better stats. High combos can even cause Shiny Pokemon to spawn, which is never not exciting. And if you accidentally run into a different Pokemon, just run from the battle to avoid breaking your combo.

Know Your Stats

Once you've registered 30 different species of Pokemon in your Pokedex, head to the building connecting Route 11 to Route 12. Go upstairs to find one of Professor Oak's assistants, who will give you the Judge function in your Pokemon Box. This allows you to see the base stats of your Pokemon at a glance. These are also called individual values, or IVs, and they play a large part in how well your Pokemon performs in battle. As a bonus, your partner Pikachu or Eevee has perfect IVs!

Talk To Everyone

As you travel around Kanto, be sure to talk to every NPC you see. A lot of them say random things, but many others will give you helpful hints, items, or even Pokemon. You can trade with NPCs in different Pokemon Centers to get the Alolan forms of certain Pokemon, like the super-tall Exeggutor, for example. There's even someone in Vermillion City who will give you a Pokemon that's exclusive to the other version of the game. And speaking of NPC gifts...

Get The Original Starters

Like in Pokemon Yellow, NPCs in Let's Go will give you the three original starters from Red and Blue as long as you meet certain requirements. In this case, you have to have caught a certain number of Pokemon total--they can be the same Pokemon, so it's just about quantity. Get Bulbasaur in Cerulean City once you've caught 30 Pokemon total; head to Route 24 to get Charmander after you've caught 50; and get Squirtle from Officer Jenny in Vermillion City once you've caught 60. You can also catch the three starters in the wild, but any Pokemon you get from an NPC will have good stats automatically.

Make EZ Money

The more Pokemon you catch, the more Poke Balls you'll use. And Poke Balls aren't cheap. Luckily, there are a few ways to make a quick buck. Your best bet is to sell stuff like Nuggets, Pearls, and Stardust, since their only purpose is to be sold. There are also NPCs who will give you items like these once per day. If you're early in the game, a woman in the northwest corner of Pewter City will give you a Big Pearl if you watch her Slowpoke for a bit; if you're a bit further along, use Strong Push on the block in the warden's house to get a Nugget from his Diglett.

Watch Your Partner's Tail

In Pokemon games, you can find items in Poke Balls throughout the world. But there are also hidden items strewn about, and they're easy to find if you know where to look. Specifically, watch Pikachu or Eevee's tail--it'll start to wag as you get closer to a hidden item, and when it's going really fast, press A. You can find rare and valuable items this way, so always keep an eye out.

How To Change Your Partner's Hairstyle

If you watched any of the pre-launch trailers for Let's Go, you might have seen that you can change your partner Pokemon's hairstyle. We had a hard time figuring out how to do it, though, so to save you the trouble: In handheld mode, rub Pikachu's or Eevee's head with two fingers instead of one to muss up their fur. You'll get different hairstyles by playing around with it for a bit.

Befriend Your Pokemon

"Friendship" in Pokemon is a somewhat hidden stat in Pokemon, but as long as you treat your Pokemon well--heal them in battle, avoid letting them faint, and so on--they'll grow to love you. In Let's Go, you can also pick one Pokemon at a time to follow you around the world. This is in addition to your Pikachu or Eevee, which you can play with to increase your friendship. As you bond with your Pokemon, they'll sometimes make clutch moves in battle, like healing their own status conditions or avoiding attacks entirely. Maybe it's cheating, but hey, it makes the Elite Four a little less stressful.